Don and Janice Schafer married in 1992. Don died the next year. With the help of in vitro fertilization, however, Janice gave birth to W.M.S., Don Schafer’s biological child, a number of years later. Janice Schafer then applied on W.M.S.’s behalf for survivorship benefits under the Social Security Act.

See 42 U.S.C. § 402(d) et seq.

The Social Security Administration rejected W.... More...   $0 (04-12-2011 - NC)

Leisa Parra petitions this Court for a Writ of Certiorari, requesting that we quash the trial court’s Order of September 8, 2010, which granted the respondents’ post-verdict motion for jury interviews. This motion argued that every single juror, including the alternate, had concealed litigation history during voir dire. Because we find that the trial court abused its discretion and departed fr... More...   $0 (03-16-2011 - FL)

J.L.H. (“Father”) appeals from the trial court’s order in contempt entered against him for failure to pay child support and argues: 1) that the trial court’s failure to advise him of his right to appointed counsel before the contempt hearing, in which the court was considering incarceration as a possible sanction, was a violation of Father’s due process rights, and 2) that the trial cour... More...   $0 (03-10-2011 - IN)

Theresa and Leonard Seale appeal the trial court’s designation of Robert and Donna Brown as joint managing conservators of the minor child M.M. Both the Browns and the Seales petitioned to intervene as parties to a suit brought by the Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) to terminate parental rights and designate a conservator for the child. The Seales argue on appeal that the t... More...   $0 (03-03-2011 - TX)

This case presents issues concerning the nature of "acknowledgment" under the intestacy statute, General Laws c. 190, § 7, as amended through St.1993, c. 460, s 59, which provides in relevant part that:

"A person born out of wedlock whose parents have intermarried and whose father has acknowledged him as his child or has been adjudged his father under chapter two hundred seventy-three, cha... More...   $0 (02-15-2011 - MA)

[¶1] Andrew Doll appeals from a judgment awarding primary residential responsibility of the parties' minor children to Sarah Doll, now known as Sarah Claeys, and order denying his motion to amend the judgment.(1) We conclude the trial court did not clearly err in awarding primary residential responsibility to Claeys. Therefore, we affirm.

I

[¶2] Andrew Doll and Sarah Claeys married... More...   $0 (02-08-2011 - ND)

{1} This case requires us to interpret and harmonize potentially conflicting provisions within our domestic relations, probate, and trust statutes to determine the process through which a decedent’s estate is defined and distributed when one party to a pending divorce proceeding dies before a final divorce decree is entered. Under these circumstances, a provision within New Mexico’s domestic r... More...   $0 (02-04-2011 - NM)

This appeal raises the question of whether Connecticut law permits an intended parent1 who is neither the biological2 nor the adoptive parent of a child to become a legal parent of that child by means of a valid gestational agreement. The use of technology to accomplish reproduction by means other than sexual intercourse no longer may be considered ‘‘new’’ science, and, indeed, the legisla... More...   $0 (02-01-2011 - CT)

¶1 Chad Gottfried (Father) appeals an order granting a petition by Crisis Pregnancy Outreach, Inc. (C.P.O.) pursuant to 10 O.S.2001 § 7505-2.12 to terminate his parental rights to L.D.B. and to allow adoption of the child without his consent pursuant to grounds stated in 10 O.S.2001 § 7505-4.2. The trial court's order finding Father failed to provide Jamye Beasley (Mother) with support during h... More...   $0 (01-28-2011 - OK)

This case – a case that involves the rights of the posthumously conceived children of a deceased wage earner and his widow – requires us to consider the intersection of new reproductive technologies and what is required to qualify for child survivor benefits under the Social Security Act (the ―Act‖). It goes without saying that these technologies were not within the imagination, much less ... More...   $0 (01-04-2011 - NJ)

Shelley A. E. Crombie appeals from a “Final Judgment on Time Sharing,” denying her petition to relocate to Jacksonville with the minor child. Finding no abuse of discretion, we affirm but do so with instructions.

In September 2003, Crombie gave birth, out of wedlock, to NIW. A little over a year later, in November of 2004, Ian Williams petitioned against his exgirlfriend to establish pa... More...   $0 (12-22-2010 - FL)

This case emphasizes once again the importance of finality in our justice system. In 2004, the circuit court erroneously granted Dustardy H. parental rights to Christian R. H., a child conceived via artificial insemination by Dustardy’s same-sex partner, Bethany H.[1] Four years later, after Dusty and Beth ended their relationship, Beth moved to void the parental rights order under Wis. Stat. ... More...   $0 (12-21-2010 - WI)

{1} The central question presented by this case is whether a court may award child support to a minor child who has been emancipated pursuant to the Emancipation of Minors Act (EMA), NMSA 1978, §§ 32A-21-1 to -7 (1995), for the period after emancipation and continuing until the emancipated minor reaches the age of eighteen. This case is consolidated from two district court cases. In the first ca... More...   $0 (12-20-2010 - NM)

Appellant Jonathan Fish and appellee Celeste Torres Lebrie are the parents of B.T., who was born in November 1998. When B.T. was born, Fish was seventeen and Lebrie was sixteen. B.T. and Lebrie lived with Lebrie's parents until 2006, when Lebrie and B.T. moved to the Dallas area with Lebrie's then-fiancé, whom she has since married. In 2002, Fish and Lebrie signed an agreed decree of paternity, w... More...   $0 (12-10-2010 - TX)

¶1 Dina Jo Dilbeck (Mother) appeals a decision of the district court modifying joint custody and awarding custody of the couple's minor child to Joey Dale Dilbeck (Father). On review of the record and the applicable law, we vacate the district court's orders and remand this case with directions.

BACKGROUND

¶2 The parties were divorced in June 2005. There is one child of the marriag... More...   $0 (12-10-2010 - OK)

Appellant Jonathan Fish and appellee Celeste Torres Lebrie are the parents of B.T., who was born in November 1998. When B.T. was born, Fish was seventeen and Lebrie was sixteen. B.T. and Lebrie lived with Lebrie's parents until 2006, when Lebrie and B.T. moved to the Dallas area with Lebrie's then-fiancé, whom she has since married. In 2002, Fish and Lebrie signed an agreed decree of paternity, w... More...   $0 (12-10-2010 - TX)

{1} This case involves the issue of whether a non-parent has standing to assert a custody and/or visitation claim, absent a finding of unfitness of the natural or adoptive parent, under New Mexico statutory or case law. Petitioner Bani Chatterjee appeals the district court’s dismissal of her petition to establish parentage and determine custody and time sharing with regard to the adopted child o... More...   $0 (12-01-2010 - NM)

Appellant, David Gray, appeals the trial court's appointment of appellee, Ann Wood Shook, as sole managing conservator of his daughter, G.W. By one issue, Gray contends that the trial court abused its discretion because (1) Shook did not offer sufficient evidence of harm to overcome the parental presumption; (2) if the parental presumption was overcome, Shook did not establish harm by a prepondera... More...   $0 (11-30-2010 - TX)

Christopher Weber appeals a district court ruling denying his request for joint legal custody and placing legal custody of the parties’ minor son with Lisa Obrecht. Chris also appeals the court’s geographic restrictions on visitation and the court’s award of retroactive child-related expenses. Lisa cross-appeals seeking an award of trial court attorney fees. We affirm and decline to award at... More...   $0 (11-10-2010 - IA)

[¶1] Paulette Gussiaas, now known as Paulette Albrecht, appeals from a judgment granting Shawn R. Neustel's motion to change primary residential responsibility for the couple's daughter from Albrecht to himself. We conclude the district court's finding that a material change in circumstances had occurred is not clearly erroneous. We further conclude the court's findings on whether a change in pri... More...   $0 (11-09-2010 - ND)

This medical malpractice suit was filed by Lou Ella Sherrill and her daughter, Barbara Pigg, against Bob T. Souder, M.D. and TransSouth Healthcare, P.C., a corporation in which Dr. Souder is the sole shareholder (hereinafter “the Defendants”). Ms. Pigg was dismissed as a party, but later filed a motion to amend the complaint to substitute herself as the plaintiff after Ms. Sherrill’s death. ... More...   $0 (10-28-2010 - TN)

Eugene Wideman, proceeding pro se, appeals the district court’s grant of summary judgment to the State of Colorado, Roslin Vigna, and Douglas Glover. He also asserts that he is appealing the district court’s denial of his Fed. R. Civ. P. 52(b) motion for amendment and request for a rehearing, but he does not support this assertion with argument. Hence, he has waived appellate review of the dis... More...   $0 (09-28-2010 - CO)

¶1 In this appeal, the appellant is the Oklahoma County Public Defender in his capacity as the attorney for the minor child and the appellees are the adoptive parents. The dispositive question is whether the district court abused its discretion in approving the adoptive parents' expenditures for fees, costs, and expenses in connection with the adoption. We answer in the affirmative and remand thi... More...   $0 (05-04-2010 - OK)

In 1991, the trial court entered an order directing Hari Wilburn to pay Cathy Tate $226 per month in child support for their child, A.B. After not having paid any of the ordered support nor having sought to set aside the order, in February 2008―more than 16 years later―Wilburn moved to set aside the order on the ground that the trial court had not made a finding that he was A.B.'s father prior... More...   $0 (04-28-2010 - CA)

Raymond G. Chapman, appearing pro se, appeals the district court’s denial of his motion to vacate its order dismissing his case and its order awarding attorneys’ fees to defendants-appellants Jodi Johnson Baker, Kevin Gassaway, and Rosemary L. Damilao. We reverse and remand.

I.

Mr. Chapman’s lawsuit originated in an ongoing state-court paternity and custody matter. His theory o... More...   $0 (04-13-2010 - OK)